Political Hotsheet
May 4, 2009 5:14 PM

When Reporters Rise For The President

(AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
Some people noticed that many reporters rose from their seats last Friday when President Obama unexpectedly entered the White House briefing room, but the same courtesy was not always extended in the past when President Bush would make an appearance.

Comparison videos were even posted on YouTube.

It’s a long-standing practice for reporters to rise when the president enters the East Room for a news conference, but that hasn’t been the case in the briefing room.

I checked with two colleagues who served as senior wire service reporters during the Bush Presidency and who, in matters of press protocol, the rest of us followed.

“The briefing room is always a more informal place,” says Steve Holland of Reuters.

But the principal reason reporters remained in their seats, he said, was not to block the shot of TV cameramen and still photographers in the back of the room who were trying to make a picture of the president’s walk-in.

No disrespect was intended for President Bush and to the best of my knowledge none was taken.

In addition, it only takes about three steps for the president to reach the lectern from the press room door. He’d be ready to begin and many reporters would barely be out of their seats, which used to be further complicated by swivel desks that had to be shifted out of the way.

When some reporters stood up for President Obama last Friday, they forgot about the needs of their colleagues in the back of the room as well as the less formal atmosphere of the briefing room. Certainly it was a sign of respect for the president, but not one of disrespect for his predecessor.

It was President Obama’s first time at the briefing room lectern since taking office and for some new members of the White House Press, it was their first time seeing a president enter the room as well.


(CBS)
Mark Knoller is a CBS News White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here. You can also follow him on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/markknoller.
Tags:
mark knoller ,
stand ,
press corps ,
obama ,
bush ,
press conference
Topics:
White House
Add a Comment See all 456 Comments
by gamachej June 11, 2009 1:47 PM EDT
Yes...exactly. I am a desperately uneducated moron....stumbling around in the darkness of my ignorance...desperately waiting..without even knowing it...for this dim witted dunce and his psychotic land-of-the-lost looking wife to save me...to inspire me to be more than what I am...to be more than what I dare to dream I can become...to be a GOVERNMENT WORKER!!! I have a thrill running up my leg!
Reply to this comment
by mollydtt May 7, 2009 11:51 AM EDT
President Bush was not the sort of guy that commanded respect. He tended to smirk a lot and sound condescending when he spoke.
I always had a hard time thinking that he respected his audience.
When Obama won the election, the overwhelming response from U S nationals living abroad, when interviewed, was that finally people in other countries started to look at the U S as a country with a leader that was intelligent and respectful of others.
Reply to this comment
by victor0803 May 7, 2009 11:28 AM EDT
Obama respects everybody so he is just getting back what he constantly give
Reply to this comment
by johndevinejr May 6, 2009 1:07 PM EDT
You asinine liberal elitists have no idea what you are playing with.
You will be the first to be silenced by Obama when he tires with you. Sooner if you dare to step out of line

Posted by mnichols1202 at 4:46 PM : May 5, 2009

Asinine liberal elitest is repubspeak for anyone who can speak in Complete sentences.

repubs have been belittling education, knowledge and intelligence for the last 30 years. Culminating with the election of a numskull like George "the decider" Bush and that halfwit Sarah "I don't know what I read" Palin.
Any reporter in their right mind would be skeptical of George Bush who was an inveterate LIAR.

What a bunch of crybaby whiners these repubs are.
What happened to the tough guys who have the courage to tie a man down and torture him. That sure takes guts.

The reason the press seems biased to you is because you subscribe to a version of reality that does not exist except in the tiny little vacuous head meat of the Far Right Wing Nut Job.


.
Reply to this comment
by CLoverNYC1 May 6, 2009 12:02 PM EDT
Irony:

The press bows to Obama while he bows to a saudi king.

Those reporters were behaving like the unpopular waiting for a prom dance with the most likely to succeed.

It's no secret President Obama has been the recipient of sloppy love since he took the stage at the DNC.

I wonder if Kerry regrets that move?
Reply to this comment
by SticksnPucks May 6, 2009 12:25 AM EDT
Mark, No credibility there bud, with your rationale. What a sham, I mean shame. Honesty is the best policy.policy
Reply to this comment
by MSM_Democrat_Partisans May 5, 2009 8:38 PM EDT
To the Democrat Liberal MSM and Press:

Jus' come outta da closet!

We all know that you are as Democrat partisan as the gay is long, er day is long.

At this point you are only becoming more of a laughable joke trying to deny that you are anything other than Democrat party operatives who attempt to pass yourselves as objective professional journalists.

The Democrat MSM was already outed, long, long ago.

Mark, don't be a joke. Just admit that yes, you guys are all Democrat Partisans and there is nothing anyone can do about it.


Can we at least all just be that honest about the obvious?

Jus' come outta da closet!
Reply to this comment
by mnichols1202 May 5, 2009 7:46 PM EDT
You asinine liberal elitists have no idea what you are playing with.
You will be the first to be silenced by Obama when he tires with you. Sooner if you dare to step out of line.

Mr. Knoller, your story is so full of bull it almost has horns.

I can distinctly remember the disrespectful crap you all always tried to put over on President Bush, the least of which was calling him Mr. Bush all the time. Remember the press conference when he'd finally had enough of it and called out a reporter for calling him just "Bush". He had to remind the little pissant that it was "Mr. President" not "Bush".
The simple fact that a sitting political figure was able to threaten a legitimate business interest in this country with his personal attack dogs, the "White House Press Corps", should have all you spineless lapdogs crawling under a rock somewhere like the slimy trash you all are!

Opps! Did i just make Janet's List?
Reply to this comment
by kansas1946 May 5, 2009 7:45 PM EDT
Oh, waaaaaaaaaaaaa. The Bush defenders sound more and more like a bunch of hysterical, cry-baby, looking for any reason to act wounded. It is pathetic. No wonder Rebublicans are on the endangered species list.
Reply to this comment
by RealityCheck38 May 5, 2009 7:17 PM EDT
What a load of crap. It has now been over 100 days of Obama's rule in the White House. I have never seen such groveling by the members of the media in this country in my life time. It is a betryal of their jobs to report truth. Journalism is dead.
This country is in deep trouble as our freedoms are stolen by left wing ideologues daily. Soon the country will be gone and everyone will ask "WHY?" It's because these clowns let the country be stolen. God help us, please save America before it's gone.
Reply to this comment
by just2cynical May 5, 2009 7:15 PM EDT
Really, this explanation is just poor. Try again
Reply to this comment
by alexvagirl May 5, 2009 7:15 PM EDT
The Republicans hate excessive gov't power because of taxation and regulation. The Democrats hate gov't power because of the excessive probing of thought and prosecution of crime (or terrorism). Neither are wrong. But with regard to use of gov't force during time of war, perhaps a good analogy would be the old law school scenario of the fact that it is quite acceptable to use a shotgun to kill someone when you are home when there is an intruder who has entered your home in an attempt to commit a horrible crime.....but it is not acceptable to kill them with a shotgun rigged to go off when you are away in order to prevent a property crime. In other words, some things in regular criminal law depend upon the circumstances, why should it be different if we are surprised by an attack against our country where there is every evidence that there are others poised to do the same? Maybe that interrogation must be more rigorous due to the potential impending deaths for which you, a pubic servant or elected official, will be held accountable, having not done everything in your power to prevent the follow-on?
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by peggy97478 May 5, 2009 7:14 PM EDT
P f f f t t t t !!! .............Whatever.....................
Reply to this comment
by NotaBozo May 5, 2009 6:47 PM EDT
It would have been better to let the story die off rather than provide an implausible piece. If the author could find a video showing the press corps giving President Bush the same respect they gave to President Obama it would quiet the critics. Without such evidence, the press corps' explanations are meaningless.
Reply to this comment
by k9insky May 5, 2009 6:45 PM EDT
yeah Mark, sure, next
Reply to this comment
by tomgrimsley May 5, 2009 6:41 PM EDT
In the words of Bill Cosby...YEAH RIGHT!
Reply to this comment
by DavyBuck May 5, 2009 6:32 PM EDT
Mr. Knoller:

You're not a journalist. You're not a reporter. You're a stenographer and sycophant for the Democrats. You have ZERO credibility. Even IF your explanation is legit, it means nothing because everyone already knows you all are nothing but lapdogs. If you only knew how little folks paid any attention to what you say. You're laughable.
Reply to this comment
by ellenoday May 5, 2009 6:30 PM EDT
Look mark, let's not mess around. You are making excuses for you and your colleagues. The fact is most of the media are so far up Obama's rear that only their feet stick out.

And anyway the feet tingle too.

Don't take it personally, but I hope CBS closes down and I hope you lose your job since CBS (and you) are no longer professional reporters and media types, but rather propagandists for Obama and his shaky tax dodging administration.
Reply to this comment
by GeorgeOrwellSays1984IsNow May 5, 2009 6:01 PM EDT
Most of the White House Reporters are a bunch of small minded liberal jerks who have been slobbering all over themselves since Obama was nominated. They jump up when they see Obama because that "tingly feeling" runs up their leg.
Reply to this comment
by newstas May 5, 2009 5:47 PM EDT
Mr. Knoller,

That explanation is only something that our DOTUS, Dog of the United States, would sniff at and most likely swallow.

Hope the "tank" keeps you nice and warm....
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